Fffc Advent Calendar (Day 7) - Crimes against Christmas

[m_findlow]

Title: Crimes against Christmas
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 300 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Advent Calendar Day 7 - Red ribbon at fffc
Summary: Jack is left flabbergasted by a lack of appropriately festive wrapping.

'And would you like that gift wrapped?' the girl behind the counter asked Jack as she handed him back his credit card.

'Is that extra?' he replied. Usually it was some kind of coin donation for that sort of thing and he was fresh out of spare change, having used the last of it in the council parking meters outside in the high street. He could have just not bothered and let the parking fine roll in for Ianto to make disappear, but since he wasn't here on business, it didn't seem fair to add to Ianto's already considerable workload. The only business Jack had on his agenda for today was the Christmas shopping kind.

'Complimentary for you today, sir,' the girl replied. 'You spent over a hundred pounds.'

He spent well more than that, but he wasn't about to correct her. Apparently that was the deemed threshold for free wrapping.

'Absolutely,' he replied. Not having to wrap Ianto's gift was a bonus, since the shopkeeper would likely do a far better job of it that he would, and it would save Ianto trying to battle the three yards of sticky tape Jack usually employed, regardless of the size of the gift.

The girl cut a length of silver paper and quickly had it measured to perfection. 'Now, would you like blue, green or gold ribbon?'

'Do you have red?' Jack asked. Red was Ianto's favourite colour and would match perfectly the gift inside.

'Sorry, we're all out of red.'

'Out? But it's Christmas! How can you be out of red ribbon? That's like...' Jack couldn't even begin to explain. It was ten kinds of wrong.

'Like I said, we've  got blue, green and gold.'

Jack grabbed the box and shoved it in the bag. 'I'll wrap it myself then.'

Comments

[bk_forever]

Poor Jack, foiled again. But he's right, they really should have made sure they had enough red for Christmas!